[ad_1]
(Fixes spelling in “breakaway” in headline)
Dec 26 (Reuters) – Israel has recognised Somaliland, a breakaway region of Somalia, as an “independent and sovereign state,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Friday, making Israel the first country to do so.
(Reporting by Maayan Lubell and George Obulutsa, Editing by Louise Heavens)
Copyright 2025 Thomson Reuters.
[ad_2]
Reuters
Source link
[ad_1]
Japan’s Cabinet on Friday approved a record defense budget plan exceeding 9 trillion yen ($58 billion) for the coming year, aiming to fortify its strike-back capability and coastal defense with cruise missiles and unmanned arsenals as tensions rise in the region.The draft budget for fiscal 2026, beginning April, is up 9.4% from 2025 and marks the fourth year of Japan’s ongoing five-year program to double annual arms spending to 2% of gross domestic product.“It is the minimum needed as Japan faces the severest and most complex security environment in the postwar era,” Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi said, stressing his country’s determination to pursue military buildup and protect its people.“It does not change our path as a peace-loving nation,” he said.The increase comes as Japan faces elevated tension from China. Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said in November that her country’s military could get involved if China were to take action against Taiwan, the self-governing island that Beijing says must come under its rule.Takaichi’s government, under U.S. pressure for a military increase, pledged to achieve the 2% target by March, two years earlier than planned. Japan also plans to revise its ongoing security and defense policy by December 2026 to further strengthen its military.Missiles and drones will add to southwestern island defenseJapan has been bolstering its offensive capability with long-range missiles to attack enemy targets from a distance, a major break from its post-World War II principle limiting the use of force to its own self-defense.The current security strategy, adopted in 2022, names China as the country’s biggest strategic challenge and calls for a more offensive role for Japan’s Self-Defense Force under its security alliance with the U.S.The new budget plan allocates more than 970 billion yen ($6.2 billion) to bolster Japan’s “standoff” missile capability. It includes a 177 billion yen ($1.13 billion) purchase of domestically developed and upgraded Type-12 surface-to-ship missiles with a range of about 1,000 kilometers (620 miles).The first batch of the Type-12 missiles will be deployed in Japan’s southwestern Kumamoto prefecture by March, a year earlier than planned, as Japan accelerates its missile buildup in the region.The government believes unmanned weapons are essential, in part due to Japan’s aging and declining population and its struggles with an understaffed military.To defend the coasts, Japan will spend 100 billion yen ($640 million) to deploy “massive” unmanned air, sea-surface and underwater drones for surveillance and defense under a system called SHIELD planned for March 2028, defense ministry officials said.For speedier deployment, Japan initially plans to rely mainly on imports, possibly from Turkey or Israel.Tension with China growsThe budget announcement comes as Japan’s row with China escalates following Takaichi’s remark in November that the Japanese military could get involved if China were to take action against Taiwan, the self-governing island that Beijing claims as its own.The disagreement escalated this month when Chinese aircraft carrier drills near southwestern Japan prompted Tokyo to protest when Chinese aircraft locked their radar on Japanese aircraft, which is considered possible preparation for firing missiles.The Defense Ministry, already alarmed by China’s rapid expansion of operations in the Pacific, will open a new office dedicated to studying operations, equipment and other necessities for Japan to deal with China’s Pacific activity.Two Chinese aircraft carriers were spotted in June, almost simultaneously operating near the southern Japanese island of Iwo Jima for the first time, fueling Tokyo’s concern about Beijing’s rapidly expanding military activity far beyond its borders and areas around the disputed East China Sea islands.In Beijing, China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said the Takaichi government has “noticeably accelerated its pace of military buildup and expansion” since taking office.”Japan is deviating from the path of peaceful development it has long claimed to uphold and is moving further and further in a dangerous direction,” Lin said.Japan plans joint development of frigates and jetsJapan is pushing to strengthen its largely domestic defense industry by participating in joint development with friendly nations and promoting foreign sales after drastically easing arms export restrictions in recent years.For 2026, Japan plans to spend more than 160 billion yen ($1 billion) to jointly develop a next-generation fighter jet with Britain and Italy for deployment in 2035. There are also plans for research and development of artificial intelligence-operated drones designed to fly with the jet.In a major boost to the country’s defense industry, Australia selected Mitsubishi Heavy Industries in August to upgrade the Mogami-class frigate to replace its fleet of 11 ANZAC-class ships.Japan’s budget allocates nearly 10 billion yen ($64 million) to support industry base and arms sales.Meeting targets but future funding uncertainThe budget plan requires parliamentary approval by March to be implemented as part of a 122.3 trillion yen ($784 billion) national budget bill.The five-year defense buildup program would bring Japan’s annual spending to around 10 trillion yen ($64 billion), making it the world’s third-largest spender after the U.S. and China. Japan will clear the 2% target by March as promised, the Finance Ministry said.Takaichi’s government plans to fund its growing military spending by raising corporate and tobacco taxes and recently adopted a plan for an income tax increase beginning in 2027. Prospects for future growth at a higher percentage of GDP are unclear.
Japan’s Cabinet on Friday approved a record defense budget plan exceeding 9 trillion yen ($58 billion) for the coming year, aiming to fortify its strike-back capability and coastal defense with cruise missiles and unmanned arsenals as tensions rise in the region.
The draft budget for fiscal 2026, beginning April, is up 9.4% from 2025 and marks the fourth year of Japan’s ongoing five-year program to double annual arms spending to 2% of gross domestic product.
“It is the minimum needed as Japan faces the severest and most complex security environment in the postwar era,” Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi said, stressing his country’s determination to pursue military buildup and protect its people.
“It does not change our path as a peace-loving nation,” he said.
The increase comes as Japan faces elevated tension from China. Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said in November that her country’s military could get involved if China were to take action against Taiwan, the self-governing island that Beijing says must come under its rule.
Takaichi’s government, under U.S. pressure for a military increase, pledged to achieve the 2% target by March, two years earlier than planned. Japan also plans to revise its ongoing security and defense policy by December 2026 to further strengthen its military.
Japan has been bolstering its offensive capability with long-range missiles to attack enemy targets from a distance, a major break from its post-World War II principle limiting the use of force to its own self-defense.
The current security strategy, adopted in 2022, names China as the country’s biggest strategic challenge and calls for a more offensive role for Japan’s Self-Defense Force under its security alliance with the U.S.
The new budget plan allocates more than 970 billion yen ($6.2 billion) to bolster Japan’s “standoff” missile capability. It includes a 177 billion yen ($1.13 billion) purchase of domestically developed and upgraded Type-12 surface-to-ship missiles with a range of about 1,000 kilometers (620 miles).
The first batch of the Type-12 missiles will be deployed in Japan’s southwestern Kumamoto prefecture by March, a year earlier than planned, as Japan accelerates its missile buildup in the region.
The government believes unmanned weapons are essential, in part due to Japan’s aging and declining population and its struggles with an understaffed military.
To defend the coasts, Japan will spend 100 billion yen ($640 million) to deploy “massive” unmanned air, sea-surface and underwater drones for surveillance and defense under a system called SHIELD planned for March 2028, defense ministry officials said.
For speedier deployment, Japan initially plans to rely mainly on imports, possibly from Turkey or Israel.
The budget announcement comes as Japan’s row with China escalates following Takaichi’s remark in November that the Japanese military could get involved if China were to take action against Taiwan, the self-governing island that Beijing claims as its own.
The disagreement escalated this month when Chinese aircraft carrier drills near southwestern Japan prompted Tokyo to protest when Chinese aircraft locked their radar on Japanese aircraft, which is considered possible preparation for firing missiles.
The Defense Ministry, already alarmed by China’s rapid expansion of operations in the Pacific, will open a new office dedicated to studying operations, equipment and other necessities for Japan to deal with China’s Pacific activity.
Two Chinese aircraft carriers were spotted in June, almost simultaneously operating near the southern Japanese island of Iwo Jima for the first time, fueling Tokyo’s concern about Beijing’s rapidly expanding military activity far beyond its borders and areas around the disputed East China Sea islands.
In Beijing, China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said the Takaichi government has “noticeably accelerated its pace of military buildup and expansion” since taking office.
“Japan is deviating from the path of peaceful development it has long claimed to uphold and is moving further and further in a dangerous direction,” Lin said.
Japan is pushing to strengthen its largely domestic defense industry by participating in joint development with friendly nations and promoting foreign sales after drastically easing arms export restrictions in recent years.
For 2026, Japan plans to spend more than 160 billion yen ($1 billion) to jointly develop a next-generation fighter jet with Britain and Italy for deployment in 2035. There are also plans for research and development of artificial intelligence-operated drones designed to fly with the jet.
In a major boost to the country’s defense industry, Australia selected Mitsubishi Heavy Industries in August to upgrade the Mogami-class frigate to replace its fleet of 11 ANZAC-class ships.
Japan’s budget allocates nearly 10 billion yen ($64 million) to support industry base and arms sales.
The budget plan requires parliamentary approval by March to be implemented as part of a 122.3 trillion yen ($784 billion) national budget bill.
The five-year defense buildup program would bring Japan’s annual spending to around 10 trillion yen ($64 billion), making it the world’s third-largest spender after the U.S. and China. Japan will clear the 2% target by March as promised, the Finance Ministry said.
Takaichi’s government plans to fund its growing military spending by raising corporate and tobacco taxes and recently adopted a plan for an income tax increase beginning in 2027. Prospects for future growth at a higher percentage of GDP are unclear.
[ad_2]
[ad_1]
Mohammad Bakri, a Palestinian director and actor who sought to share the complexities of Palestinian identity and culture through a variety of works in both Arabic and Hebrew, has died, his family announced. He was 72.
Bakri was best known for Jenin, Jenin, a 2003 documentary he directed about an Israeli military operation in the northern West Bank city the previous year during the second Palestinian intifada, or uprising. The film, focusing on the heavy destruction and heartbreak of its Palestinian residents, was banned by Israel.
Bakri also acted in Cherien Dabis’ 2025 film All That’s Left of You, a drama about a Palestinian family through more than 76 years, alongside his sons, Adam and Saleh Bakri, who are also actors. The film has been shortlisted by the Academy Awards for the best international feature film.
Over the years, he made several films that spanned the spectrum of Palestinian experiences. He also acted in Hebrew, including at Israel’s national theater in Tel Aviv, and appeared in a number of famous Israeli films in the 1980s and 1990s. He studied at Tel Aviv University.
Bakri, who was born in northern Israel and held Israeli citizenship, dabbled in both film and theater. His best-known one-man-show from 1986, The Pessoptimist, based on the writings of Palestinian author Emile Habiby, focused on the intricacies and emotions of someone who has both Israeli and Palestinian identities.
During the 1980s, Bakri played characters in mainstream Israeli films that humanized the Palestinian identity, including Beyond the Walls, a seminal film about incarcerated Israelis and Palestinians, said Raya Morag, a professor at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem who specializes in cinema and trauma.
“He broke stereotypes about how Israelis looked at Palestinians, and allowing someone Palestinian to be regarded as a hero in Israeli society,” she said.
“He was a very brave person, and he was brave by standing to his ideals, choosing not to be conformist in any way, and paying the price in both societies,” said Morag.
Bakri faced some pushback within Palestinian society for his cooperation with Israelis. After Jenin, Jenin, he was plagued by almost two decades of court cases in Israel, where the film was seen as unbalanced and inciting.
In 2022, Israel’s Supreme Court upheld a ban on the documentary, saying it defamed Israeli soldiers, and ordered Bakri to pay tens of thousands of dollars in damages to an Israeli military officer for defamation.
Jenin, Jenin was a turning point in Bakri’s career. In Israel, he became a polarizing figure and he never worked with mainstream Israeli cinema again, Morag said. “He was loyal to himself despite all the pressures from inside and outside,” she added. “He was a firm voice that did not change during the years.”
Local media quoted Bakri’s family as saying he died Wednesday after suffering from heart and lung problems. His cousin, Rafic, told the Arabic news site Al-Jarmaq that Bakri was a tenacious advocate of the Palestinians who used his works to express support for his people.
“I am certain that Abu Saleh will remain in the memory of Palestinian people everywhere and all people of the free world,” he said, using Mohammed Bakri’s nickname.
[ad_2]
Abid Rahman
Source link
[ad_1]
DAMASCUS, Dec 26 (Reuters) – Three people were killed and five injured when an explosion struck a mosque in an Alawite neighbourhood in the Syrian province of Homs on Friday, a local official said.
Syrian state media said security forces had imposed a cordon around the area and were investigating.
Local officials told Reuters it may have been caused by a suicide bomber or explosives placed there.
(Reporting by Khalil Ashawi, Firas Makdesi, Feras Dalatey, and Ahmed Elimam in Dubai, Editing by Alexandra Hudson)
Copyright 2025 Thomson Reuters.
[ad_2]
Reuters
Source link
[ad_1]
In June 2026, the world’s leading Web3 taxi app will be launched in the Big Apple.
This ride-hailing app—called TADA—uses blockchain technology to connect drivers and riders via smart contracts. Its use of decentralized tech enables greater transparency, fairer earnings for drivers, and cost savings for riders, co-founder Kay Woo told Fortune in a Dec. 24 interview.
“We don’t work as an intermediary. We are becoming the software for both [drivers and riders] and while they’re using our network, they just need to simply pay a small fee,” Woo says.
TADA was founded in Singapore in 2018 by two South Korean tech entrepreneurs: Kay Woo and Jay Han. The ride-hailing app is best known for its “zero commission model”, which charges drivers a flat software fee (of around 78 to 92 cents) rather than a cut of their earnings.
The platform has a significant and growing share in Singapore’s crowded ride-hailing market, constituting 11.1% of market share in 2022, according to data platform Measurable AI. As of October 2024, TADA brought in a record $19.8 million in revenue, up from $15.7 million in 2023.
Since its launch, TADA has expanded to various markets in Asia, including Cambodia and Vietnam in 2019, and Thailand and Hong Kong in 2024. Within the U.S., the company is currently trialing its tech in Denver, and plans to launch officially in NYC in June.
The origin story
TADA’s entry to NYC marks a full-circle moment for Woo, who had first begun his entrepreneurship journey in the city.
In 2012, alongside a friend, Woo created a social gathering application with the goal of bringing people together—but the app flopped.
“I couldn’t sell the product. I come from an engineering and finance background, and my co-founder was an engineer. We were just a bunch of nerds,” Woo says.
After a few failures, they decided to create a product that would generate revenue from the get-go, and a ride-hailing app came to mind.
In 2014, Woo and Han moved back to Asia, and set out to digitalise the cross-border mobility services between the bustling cities of Hong Kong and Shenzhen.
According to Woo, although Uber and DiDi were popular in the region, ride-hailing apps didn’t yet offer cross-border transport services. Instead, car rental companies and drivers managed reservations with pen and paper—and Woo saw a gap in the market.
After a successful test run in Hong Kong and mainland China, TADA’s founders officially launched their ride-hailing business in Singapore, choosing the city-state as it is densely populated and has “superb infrastructure support.”
“Among Southeast Asian countries, Singapore is super important to showcase all other neighboring countries in Southeast Asia,” Woo says. “We got lucky in picking the right place, but also the right time.”
Aside from revenue from its platform fees, TADA has several other revenue streams.
Besides generating a profit from the broader Web3 platform by its parent company, MVL, TADA sells anonymized vehicle and driving data—with consent—to ecosystem partners, and offers MVL tokens to be traded on external cryptocurrency exchanges.
Journey to the west
After growing the business in Asia, Woo now has his sights set on the U.S., where he is ready to take on industry giants like Uber and Lyft.
“Whenever I go to New York, I interview the old drivers, and everybody says the same thing: current ride-hailing services take too much commission, but they don’t have any choice,” quips Woo. “We need to give them a choice—TADA is going to be a painkiller for them.”
Woo is a big proponent of disruption, believing it to be an essential tenet of progress.
He alludes to ‘legacy’ ride-hailing apps like Uber and Grab as part of the “first wave”, which disrupted the traditional taxi market. But these platforms were built with capitalistic goals, he says, leading to skyrocketing platform fees and prices.
“And now it’s their time to be disrupted with a new type of model,” Woo adds.
[ad_2]
Angelica Ang
Source link
[ad_1]
SEOUL, Dec 26 (Reuters) – South Korea’s special prosecutor requested a 10-year prison sentence for former President Yoon Suk Yeol on charges including obstructing attempts to arrest him following his failed bid to impose martial law, the Yonhap News Agency reported on Friday.
Prosecutors have accused the ousted president of trying to block investigators seeking to arrest him in January by barricading himself inside the presidential compound.
The request is the first jail term sought by special prosecutors over the multiple charges Yoon faces.
(Reporting by Heejin Kim and Joyce Lee; Editing by Himani Sarkar and Christian Schmollinger)
Copyright 2025 Thomson Reuters.
[ad_2]
Reuters
Source link
[ad_1]
DUBAI, Dec 25 (Reuters) – Saudi Arabia said on Thursday it remains hopeful that Yemen’s main southern separatist group will end an escalation that has given it broad control across the south, deepening uncertainties in a country already divided between two administrations since civil war erupted over a decade ago.
In a foreign ministry statement, the kingdom described the military operations by Yemen’s Southern Transitional Council (STC) – through which the group seized the eastern provinces of Hadramout and Mahra earlier this month – as an “unjustified escalation.”
“The kingdom remains hopeful that the public interest will prevail through ending the escalation by the Southern Transitional Council and the withdrawal of its forces from the two governorates in an urgent and orderly manner,” the statement said.
The UAE-backed STC forces were initially part of the Sunni Muslim Saudi-led alliance that intervened in Yemen in 2015 against the Iran-aligned Houthis. But the STC turned on the government and sought self-rule in the south, including the major port city of Aden where the Saudi-backed administration is headquartered.
A joint Saudi-Emirati military delegation arrived in Aden on December 12 to discuss measures aimed at defusing tensions. Saudi Arabia said the teams were sent to put “the necessary arrangements” to ensure the return of STC forces to their previous positions outside the two provinces.
The kingdom added, however, that these efforts remain in progress to restore the situation to its previous state.
Yemen has been marred by civil war since 2014, through which the Houthis took control of the northern part of the country including the capital, Sanaa, pushing the Saudi-backed government to flee south and headquarter in the port city of Aden.
(Reporting by Nayera Abdallah; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan)
Copyright 2025 Thomson Reuters.
[ad_2]
Reuters
Source link
[ad_1]
LONDON, Dec 23 (Reuters) – British police said on Tuesday they would take no further action over comments made about the Israeli military during a performance by punk duo Bob Vylan at the Glastonbury music festival in June.
“We have concluded, after reviewing all the evidence, that it does not meet the criminal threshold outlined by the CPS (Crown Prosecution Service) for any person to be prosecuted,” Avon and Somerset Police said.
(Reporting by Sam TabahritiEditing by William Schomberg)
Copyright 2025 Thomson Reuters.
[ad_2]
Reuters
Source link
[ad_1]
Dec 20 (Reuters) – Lebanon is close to completing the disarmament of Hezbollah south of the Litani River, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said on Saturday, as the country races to fulfil a key demand of its ceasefire with Israel before a year-end deadline.
The U.S.-backed ceasefire, agreed in November 2024, ended more than a year of fighting between Israel and Hezbollah and required the disarmament of the Iran-aligned militant group, starting in areas south of the river adjacent to Israel.
Lebanese authorities, led by President Joseph Aoun and Salam, tasked the U.S.-backed Lebanese army on August 5 with devising a plan to establish a state monopoly on arms by the end of the year.
“Prime Minister Salam affirmed that the first phase of the weapons consolidation plan related to the area south of the Litani River is only days away from completion,” a statement from his office said.
“The state is ready to move on to the second phase – namely (confiscating weapons) north of the Litani River – based on the plan prepared by the Lebanese army pursuant to a mandate from the government,” Salam added.
The statement came after Salam held talks with Simon Karam, Lebanon’s top civilian negotiator on a committee overseeing the Hezbollah-Israel truce.
Since the ceasefire, the sides have regularly accused each other of violations, with Israel questioning the Lebanese army’s efforts to disarm Hezbollah. Israeli warplanes have increasingly targeted Hezbollah in southern Lebanon and even in the capital.
Hezbollah, a Shi’ite Muslim group, has tried to resist the pressure – from its mainly Christian and Sunni Muslim opponents in Lebanon as well as from the U.S. and Saudi Arabia – to disarm, saying it would be a mistake while Israel continues its air strikes on the country.
Israel has publicly urged Lebanese authorities to fulfil the conditions of the truce, saying it will act “as necessary” if Lebanon fails to take steps against Hezbollah.
(Reporting by Laila Bassam; Writing by Ahmed Tolba;Editing by Alison Williams and Gareth Jones)
Copyright 2025 Thomson Reuters.
[ad_2]
Reuters
Source link
[ad_1]
Posted on: December 20, 2025, 09:49h.
Last updated on: December 20, 2025, 09:49h.
Thousands of people suspected to be human trafficking victims who have been forced to work in slave-like conditions in Cambodia along the Thailand border have been caught in the crossfire of the ongoing conflict.
Thailand has targeted border casinos in Cambodia that the Thai army claims have been retrofitted to serve as arsenals and firing positions for the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces. Thailand has bombed or struck at least four casinos in Cambodia just across the border.
The territorial dispute, which has endured for more than a century, escalated into armed conflict earlier this year after Thai soldiers in February prevented Cambodian tourists from singing their national anthem at the Prasat Ta Muen Thom, an ancient temple along the border. The incident resulted in the death of a Cambodian soldier.
A leaked phone call between Paetongtarn Shinawatra, then the prime minister of Thailand, and Hun Sen, the most powerful person in Cambodia, recorded the prime minister blaming her own army for the February incident. The informal conversation that was made public led to Shinawatra’s impeachment and intensified tensions between the two sides.
While there are many casinos on the Cambodia side of the Thai-Cambodia border, the United Nations says the casinos have also served as scam centers where an estimated 100,000 victims of human trafficking have been forced to perpetrate online scams in what’s believed to be a multibillion-dollar industry.
Amnesty International, an international human rights organization based in London, says the Cambodian government has allowed slavery and torture to “flourish inside hellish scamming compounds.” The organization has managed to visit 52 scamming compounds in Cambodia, with many of the buildings previously serving as casinos and hotels that were repurposed by criminal gangs from China.
Most victims had been lured to Cambodia by deceptive job advertisements posted on social media sites such as Facebook and Instagram. After being trafficked, survivors said they were forced to contact people using social media platforms and begin conversations aimed at defrauding them. These included fake romances or investment opportunities, selling products that would never be delivered, or building trust with victims before financially exploiting them, known as ‘pig-butchering,’” Amnesty reports.
“Our findings reveal a pattern of state failures that have allowed criminality to flourish and raise questions about the government’s motivations,” said Amnesty International’s Regional Research Director Montse Ferrer.
The United Nations confirmed this week that civilians and human trafficking victims in Cambodia remain at risk, and some have likely been killed in the Thailand-Cambodia conflict.
Casino complexes and suspected scam centers in Cambodia have reportedly been hit,” the UN advised.
“I am alarmed by reports that areas around villages and cultural sites are being struck by fighter jets, drones, and artillery. “Under international humanitarian law, it is very clear that protection of civilians and civilian infrastructure is paramount,” added Volker Türk, the UN’s high commissioner for human rights.
[ad_2]
Devin O’Connor
Source link
[ad_1]
For a moment, it looked like President Trump and China President Xi Jinping had buried the hatchet at APEC.
Then, just as eyes turned away from the Korean summit, Xi picked up an ax.
Trump celebrated his high-profile breakthrough with Beijing as a victory on tariffs, a promise of massive soybean purchases and an agreement to stop the flow of the chemicals that fuel fentanyl.
But by the next day, the smiles had vanished as Xi used his closing remarks to take an unmistakable swipe at his American rival.
In a pointed message delivered to business leaders, Xi took a thinly veiled swipe at Washington’s trade policies—positioning China as the champion of free markets while warning regional partners against joining America’s campaign to decouple from Chinese supply chains.
‘APEC economies should oppose protectionism, resist unilateral bullying and prevent the world from returning to the law of the jungle,’ he declared—words experts widely interpreted as a direct rebuke of Trump’s approach to trade.
This was a stark contrast to how Xi responded to Trump during their face-to-face meeting. ‘China and the US should be partners and friends,’ President Xi said during their summit. ‘This is what history has taught us and what reality demands.’
Brent Sadler, a former military diplomat with decades of experience in Asia, believes that Xi’s post–summit remarks were both a response to the meeting and an assertion of China‘s growing power.
China’s President Xi Jinping speaks during the Asia–Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Gyeongju, South Korea
US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping pose for photos ahead of a bilateral meeting at Gimhae Air Base on October 30, 2025 in Busan, South Korea. Trump is meeting Xi for the first time since taking office for his second term, following months of growing tension between both countries
Chinese President Xi Jinping waves to the press as he walks with US President Donald Trump at the Mar–a–Lago estate in West Palm Beach, Florida, back in 2017
Trump takes part in a welcoming ceremony with Xi Jinping on November 9, 2017 in Beijing, China on a 10–day trip to Asia
‘Trump very clearly set the stage for this meeting, flexing his position,’ Sadler said. ‘What we saw after the summit was Xi returning to familiar rhetoric. It wasn’t hostile, but it wasn’t friendly. It was more of a cold, businesslike engagement, and Xi was clearly sending a message.’
Sadler described Xi’s comments as ‘catty,’ adding, ‘It wasn’t just a swipe; it was almost like a threat. Xi was telling others not to side with the Americans, which is a strategic move to reinforce China’s influence in the region.’
This, according to Sadler, reveals the true nature of the US–China relationship — not a friendship, but a complex and tense negotiation, where both sides are playing a long game.
This isn’t the first time the two sides have made a deal, only for it to unravel shortly after. The last agreement struck between China and the US was effectively discarded just months after being put in place.
‘I have seen this movie before,’ Sadler said. ‘Promises from Beijing have often been made, but not followed through on. We’ll see if this time is any different.’
Asia–region analysts tell Daily Mail that while Trump’s team may have secured some initial concessions, it remains to be seen whether these will hold up over the long term – skeptical of China’s ability to meet it’s commitments on issues like fentanyl control and export controls.
‘The US needs to ensure China adheres to its commitments. The handshake deal in South Korea is only meaningful if it’s followed up with action. Trump’s team needs to keep the pressure on,’ Sadler added.
The next big summit between Trump and Xi, expected in April, will likely reveal whether these trade talks can move beyond the surface –– and if history is any indicator –– if a part of their agreement derails.
A former senior Biden administration official tells the Daily Mail it’s hard to see the deal stick. One tell: No text of a joint agreement was ever released.
‘President Xi has been willing to push back against Trump, so I could see him changing terms of the deal if Trump posts something in the middle of the night on X with an entirely new policy,’ the Senior Administration official said.
Asked for a response to Xi, a White House aide noted that the US is also playing the long game.
‘We’re a threat to them, too… I think we get along very well, and I think we can be bigger, better and stronger by working with them as opposed to just knocking them out,’ the official said.
[ad_2]
[ad_1]
PARIS, Dec 19 (Reuters) – French President Emmanuel Macron said on Friday it was too early to say whether a one-month delay to decide on an EU trade deal with South America’s Mercosur bloc will be enough to meet the conditions set by France, but that he hoped so.
Macron, who has pushed for stronger guarantees to protect farmers, said he hoped the EU and Mercosur nations will approve in January measures to ensure South American imports meet the same requirements than European ones.
That would make the pact a “new” Mercosur-EU deal, he said.
(Reporting by Michel Rose)
Copyright 2025 Thomson Reuters.
[ad_2]
Reuters
Source link
[ad_1]
BRUSSELS, Dec 19 (Reuters) – European Union leaders could agree to borrow on the market, against the security of the EU budget, to keep Ukraine financed in 2026 and 2027, a draft text of the leaders’ conclusions seen by Reuters showed on Friday.
But the leaders still want their governments and the European Parliament to continue working on setting up financing for Ukraine based on frozen Russian assets, the draft text said.
The joint borrowing against the EU budget would be with the exclusion of Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic, said the draft, which has yet to be approved by the leaders.
(Reporting by Lili Bayer and Andrew Gray)
Copyright 2025 Thomson Reuters.
[ad_2]
Reuters
Source link
[ad_1]
Is “toxic mold syndrome” a real thing? What do we do about toxic mold contamination of food?
In recent years, mold has been blamed for all sorts of “vague and subjective” symptoms, but we have little scientific evidence that mold should be implicated. However, this “concept of toxic mold syndrome has permeated the public consciousness,” perpetuated by disreputable predatory practices of those making money testing homes for mold spores or testing people’s urine or blood. But all these tests are said to “further propagate misinformation and inflict unnecessary and often exorbitant costs on patients desperate for a clinical diagnosis, right or wrong, for their constellation of maladies…The continued belief in this myth is perpetuated by those charlatans who believe that measles vaccines cause autism, that homeopathy works, that fluoride in the water should be removed….”
Mold toxin contamination of food, however, has emerged as a legitimate issue of serious concern, and mycotoxins are perhaps even more important than other contaminants that might make their way into the food supply. Hundreds of different types have been identified, but only one has been classified as a known human carcinogen, and that’s aflatoxin. The ochratoxin I’ve previously discussed is a possible human carcinogen, but we know aflatoxin causes cancer in human beings. In fact, aflatoxins are amongst the most powerful known carcinogens.
It has been estimated that about a fifth of all liver cancer cases may be attributable to aflatoxins. “Since liver cancer is the third-leading cause of cancer deaths worldwide, and mortality rapidly follows diagnosis, the contribution of aflatoxins to this deadly cancer is significant.” And once aflatoxin makes it into the food, there is almost nothing we can do to remove it. Cooking, for example, doesn’t help. Indeed, as shown below and at 1:50 in my video Should We Be Concerned About Aflatoxin?, once it makes it into crops or into the meat, dairy, and eggs from animals consuming those crops, it’s too late. So, we have to prevent contamination in the first place, which is what we’ve been doing for decades in the United States. Because of government regulations, “companies in developed countries…are ‘always sampling’ for aflatoxin,” resulting in nearly $1 billion in losses every year. That may get even worse if climate change exacerbates aflatoxin contamination in the Midwest Corn Belt.
So, on a consumer level, it is more of a public health problem in the less industrialized world, such as in African countries, where conditions are ripe and farmers can’t afford to throw away $1 billion in contaminated crops. Aflatoxin remains a public health threat in Africa, Southeast Asia, and rural China, affecting more than half of humanity. This explains why the prevalence of liver cancer in those areas may be 30 times higher, yet it is not a major problem in the United States or Europe.
Only about 1% of Americans have detectable levels of aflatoxins in their bloodstream. Why not 0%? The U.S. Food and Drug Administration works to ensure that levels of exposure to these toxins are kept as low as practical, not as low as possible. In California, for instance, there has been an increase in “unacceptable aflatoxin levels” in pistachios, almonds, and figs. Unacceptable in Europe, that is, so it affects our ability to export, but not necessarily unacceptable for U.S. consumers, as we allow twice as much aflatoxin contamination.
Figs are unique since they’re “allowed to fully ripen and semidry on the tree.” This makes them “particularly susceptible to aflatoxin production.” It would be interesting to know about the fig-consuming habits of the 1% of Americans who were positive for the toxin. If figs were to blame, I’d encourage people to diversify their dried fruit consumption, but nuts are so good for us that we really want to keep them in our diets. The cardiovascular health benefits we get from nuts outweigh their carcinogenic effects; nut consumption prevents thousands of strokes and heart attacks for every one case of liver cancer. “Thus, the population health benefits provided by increased nut consumption clearly outweigh the risks associated with increased aflatoxin B1 exposure.”
So, we’re left with aflatoxin being mostly a problem in the developing world, and, because of that, it “remains a largely and rather shamefully ignored global health issue….” Where attention has been paid, it has been largely driven by the need to meet stringent import regulations on mycotoxin contamination in the richer nations of the world, rather than to protect the billions of people exposed on a daily basis.
Doctor’s Note
This is the last video in a four-part series on mold toxins. If you missed the others, check the related posts below.
[ad_2]
Michael Greger M.D. FACLM
Source link
[ad_1]
WARSAW, Dec 18 (Reuters) – European Union leaders agree that it would be fair to use Russian assets to finance Ukraine, but there are many technical points that need to be ironed out, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said on Thursday.
“We have definitely made a breakthrough, everyone agrees that it is worth negotiating and it would be fair to use Russian assets, but some countries will fight until the end to maximize their guarantees,” he told reporters in Brussels.
(Reporting by Alan Charlish and Pawel Florkiewicz, writing by Anna Wlodarczak-Semczuk)
Copyright 2025 Thomson Reuters.
[ad_2]
Reuters
Source link
[ad_1]
TOKYO, Dec 17 (Reuters) – Japan’s space agency cancelled on Wednesday its planned H3 rocket launch carrying the Michibiki No.5 satellite system due to “facility trouble”, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) said.
(Reporting by Mariko Katsumura and Kaori Kaneko; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman)
Copyright 2025 Thomson Reuters.
[ad_2]
Reuters
Source link
[ad_1]
By Christine Chen and Tom Bateman
SYDNEY, Dec 16 (Reuters) – Government authorities have not done enough to stamp out hatred of Jews in Australia, which has allowed it to fester in the aftermath of October 7, said the daughter of a Holocaust survivor who was wounded at the Bondi shootings on Sunday.
Victoria Teplitsky, 53, a retired childcare centre owner, said that the father and son who allegedly went on a 10-minute shooting spree that killed 15 people had been “taught to hate,” which was a bigger factor in the attack than access to guns.
“It’s not the fact that those two people had a gun. It’s the fact that hatred has been allowed to fester against the Jewish minority in Australia,” she told Reuters in an interview.
“We are angry at our government because it comes from the top, and they should have stood up for our community with strength. And they should have squashed the hatred rather than kind of letting it slide,” she said.
“We’ve been ignored. We feel like, are we not Australian enough? Do we not matter to our government?”
The attackers fired upon hundreds of people at a Jewish festival during a roughly 10-minute killing spree, forcing people to flee and take shelter before both were shot by police.
RISING ANTISEMITIC ATTACKS
Antisemitic incidents have been rising in Australia since the war in Gaza erupted after Palestinian militant group Hamas killed 1,200 Israelis in an attack on October 7, 2023. Israel’s bombardment of Gaza has since killed over 70,000 people, according to the enclave’s health ministry.
A rise in such incidents in the past sixteen months prompted the head of the nation’s main intelligence agency to declare that antisemitism was his top priority in terms of threat.
“This was not a surprise to the Jewish community. We warned the government of this many, many times over,” Teplitsky said.
“We’ve had synagogues that have been graffitied, graffiti everywhere, and we’ve had synagogues that have been bombed,” she added, referring to a 2024 arson attack in Melbourne in which no one was killed.
Teplitsky’s father Semyon, 86, bled heavily after being shot in the leg, and now is facing several operations as doctors piece bone back together with cement, then remove the cement from the leg, which he still may lose, she said.
“He’s in good spirits, but he’s also very angry. Angry that this happened, that this was allowed to happen in Australia, the country that he took his children to, to be safe, to be away from antisemitism, to be away from Jew hatred.”
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday that Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese “did nothing” to curb antisemitism.
Albanese repeated on Tuesday Australia’s support for a two-state solution. Pro-Palestinian protests have been common in Australia since Israel launched its offensive.
At a press briefing on Monday, Albanese read through a list of actions his government had taken, including criminalising hate speech and incitement to violence and a ban on the Nazi salute. He also pledged to extend funding for physical security for Jewish community groups.
(Writing by Melanie Burton; Editing by Saad Sayeed)
Copyright 2025 Thomson Reuters.
[ad_2]
Reuters
Source link
[ad_1]
TAIPEI, Dec 16 (Reuters) – Taiwan’s military can respond rapidly to any sudden Chinese attack with all units able to operate under a decentralised mode of command without awaiting orders from above, Taipei’s defence ministry said in a report to lawmakers.
Democratically-governed Taiwan, which Beijing views as its own territory, has repeatedly warned that China could try to suddenly shift its regular drills into active combat mode to catch Taiwan and its international supporters off guard.
China’s military operates around Taiwan on an almost daily basis, in what Taipei says is part of a “grey zone” harassment and pressure campaign that stops short of actual combat but is designed to wear out Taiwan’s armed forces by putting them constantly on alert.
The defence ministry said in its report that the frequency and scale of China’s military activities have increased year by year, including their regular “joint combat readiness patrols”.
The military has a standard operating practice on how to raise its combat alert level in case Chinese exercises move “from drill to war”, the ministry added.
“If the enemy suddenly launches an attack, all units are to implement ‘distributed control’ without waiting for orders and, under a ‘decentralised’ mode of command, carry out their combat missions,” it said, without giving details.
Defence Minister Wellington Koo is scheduled to take questions from lawmakers on the report on Wednesday.
China has also been practicing how to attack Taiwan, and sending its warships further and further out into the Pacific and down towards Australia and New Zealand, the ministry added.
“The Chinese communists have never renounced the use of force to annex Taiwan and continue to intensify joint training across services, shifting from purely military drills to routine, multi-service, real-combat-oriented exercises.”
Taiwan’s government rejects Beijing’s sovereignty claims, saying only the island’s people can decide their future.
On Monday, China’s defence ministry said Taiwan President Lai Ching-te was “hyping up” the threat from China and “peddling war anxiety”.
“We hope that the broad mass of Taiwan compatriots will clearly recognise the extreme danger and harmfulness of the Lai authorities’ frantic ‘preparing for war to seek independence’,” the ministry said in a statement.
(Reporting by Ben Blanchard; Editing by Saad Sayeed)
Copyright 2025 Thomson Reuters.
[ad_2]
Reuters
Source link
[ad_1]
One of the nicest perks of being location independent, is that I get to function across a lot of different cultures and, in general, my life experience is significantly more diverse. Today I’m going to share one of these unusual, but nice experiences, with the mention that this is actually part of my current lifestyle.
A Jjim Jil Bang is a traditional Korean bathhouse. It’s one of the most popular places in the Korean social culture. If you ever watched K-drama, chances are that you’ve already seen the interior of a Jjim Jil Bang, because in any K-drama at least one scene is filmed there. Inside Korea, they are spread all over the places, with various sizes and services included. Abroad, they are positioned slightly different, as “affordable luxury experiences”.
For instance, the biggest one in Saigon, Vietnam, called Golden Lotus, is occupying an entire building, with many amenities and activities, but its price is incredibly affordable (a simple breakdown of what you pay is at the end).
First of all, there is a big communal area, from where all the other amenities unfold. That’s the main differentiator of the Korean bathhouse, its social layer: you share a big room with all the other guests, and sometimes you can even make new connections, or at least spark interesting conversations (but don’t try to push it, the main reason people are there is to relax and unwind).
There are 3-4 hot rooms (depending on how you define “hot”).
Volcanic Rock pebbles – this one maintains a temperature between 62-65 degrees Celsius, and the floor is made of volcanic ash, compacted into small pebbles. In the beginning, it’s a bit difficult to adjust your balance, walking on these moving tiny pebbles, which are quite hot, but after a few tries, you will get your balance.
Himalayan Salt – this one has the floor and walls made of Himalayan salt bricks. It also maintains the same temperature between 62-65 degrees Celsius.
Herbal Bags – this one has a slightly “lower” temperature, 60-62 degrees Celsius, and the main feature is the herbal bags hung on the walls, which are releasing nice fragrances (also very healthy, I presume).
Moderate Himalayan Salt – there is an extra Himalayan salt room, in which the temperature is not that high, I think somewhere between 45-50 degrees Celsius, so you can use that as an adjustment layer before going into the really hot ones.
All hot rooms are usually very dimly lit, almost completely dark, except the Himalayan salt rooms, which are on a medium orange frequency.
Cold Igloo – this one is my second favorite room, offering an incredible minus 2 degrees, and walls with actual ice on them. It is used as a contrast to the hot rooms.
Oxygen Room – this is my favorite room. It’s just a normal room with mattresses and pillows but the aircon is pushing in a significant amount of oxygen. In Saigon’s quite polluted atmosphere, this is like a small corner of paradise.
Man / Woman sleeping rooms – these are just normal rooms, but they’re very dimly lit and you’re required to keep quiet. It’s, as the name implies, a space for sleeping and deep rest.
Red Caves – these are very small tunnel-like enclosures, with an infra-red light. It’s the preferred spot to rest in between hot and cold rooms.
Like I said, this specific Jjim Jil Bang is occupying 4 stories on a very spacious building in Thao Dien. The spa is only one level. The rest is filled with restaurant, 2 small cinema rooms, massage rooms, a study cafe (where you can do some deep work), and a generous fun and games area (taking up one of the 3 stories).
You don’t need towels, you will get them when you get your entrance bracelet. The same bracelet will be used throughout the spa when you pay extra (for the drinks or games, for example). You can get your phone if you want to, but talking loud is discouraged and in general, the etiquette is that you should be mindful and quiet.
One of the main reasons we’re going there at least 2-3 times a month is obviously recharging and unwinding. But there are obvious health benefits to this too, the hot and cold switching, the Himalayan salt and the oxygen room are a big health plus.
Now, about the price. When you pay, you pay the main entry, not by the hour. Which means you can spend, in theory, at least 10 hours there. In practice, we’re not very far away from this number, usually spending a full day, or about 8 hours there. The entry price for a couple is around 600,000 VND. Add to this two rounds of soft drinks (iced tea, usually) and you get to around 900,000 VND, or 30 EUR/day, for a couple, with a small baby. But it’s usually less than that, because they are running promotions all the time. For instance, the happy hour is giving you 50% discount, and it runs between 9:00 AM and 11:00 AM (at the time of writing). We get there before 11 anyway, so most of the time we pay a lot less than 30 EUR.
You do the math.
If you want to enjoy this specific Jjim Jil Bang in Saigon, the easiest way is to follow their Facebook page.
[ad_2]
dragos@dragosroua.com (Dragos Roua)
Source link
[ad_1]
Dec 13 (Reuters) – Iranian authorities detained 18 crew members of a foreign tanker seized in the Gulf of Oman on Friday that they said was carrying 6 million litres of smuggled fuel, Iranian media reported on Saturday, citing the Hormozgan province judiciary.
It said those detained under the ongoing investigation include the captain of the tanker. The identity of the vessel and the nationalities of the crew members were not disclosed.
The authorities said the tanker had committed multiple violations, including “ignoring stop orders, attempting to flee, (and) lacking navigation and cargo documentation”.
Iran, which has some of the world’s lowest fuel prices due to heavy subsidies and the plunge in the value of its national currency, has been fighting rampant fuel smuggling by land to neighboring countries and by sea to Gulf Arab states.
(Reporting by Menna Alaa El-Din and Dubai Newsroom; Editing by Jan Harvey)
Copyright 2025 Thomson Reuters.
[ad_2]
Reuters
Source link